If you’ve ever experienced a sudden bout of vertigo, you know how disorienting and frightening it can be. For millions of Americans, it’s a recurring condition that disrupts daily life and can even affect mental health.
Roughly, 8% of U.S. adults experience vertigo and an estimated 35% have some degree of vestibular dysfunction requiring medical attention. More broadly, the total societal cost of the three most common causes of recurrent vertigo is estimated at $151 billion annually in the United States, including $48 billion in direct medical costs alone.
Vertigo’s toll on quality of life can be deep, with sufferers experiencing increased absenteeism and long-term disability. For older adults, vertigo increases the risk of falling by 12x. In a large international registry of over 4,000 vertigo patients, nearly 70% had reduced their workload, 63% had lost working days, and about 1 in 10 had changed or quit their jobs entirely because of vertigo. They also suffer higher levels of anxiety and depression than in almost any other medical condition.
Despite the enormous personal and societal burden of vertigo, identifying the underlying cause in order to deliver effective treatment remains a persistent challenge. Because episodes typically occur outside the office, patients often struggle to accurately recall and describe exactly how the attack manifested. More than 20% of patients seek care more than 10 times.
That led Dr. Kristen Steenerson, a neurologist who specializes in vestibular disorders, encompassing vertigo, dizziness and balance problems, to explore developing a wearable device that would allow patients to measure and monitor their attacks in real time. Dizziness presents as patterns of eye movements, which are distinctive depending on whether they’re coming from the brain or ear, and can help the clinician detect which type of vestibular dizziness a patient has.
A bigger vision takes shape
Steenerson’s first step was consulting with engineers at Stanford University to explore the feasibility of a wearable device patients could use at home. While she initially intended it for use in her own clinic, a broader vision emerged through Dr. Peter Santa Maria, who is also part of the core team behind Fogarty alumni company Earflo, and a clinical adviser for current Fogarty company Auricle. He recognized the value a monitoring device could bring to physicians and patients alike. As Steenerson said, “Dr. Santa Maria frames it as ‘democratization of vestibular care,’ opening this specialty knowledge base to anyone.”
To turn that vision into reality, Steenerson and Santa Maria began collaborating with Danyang (Dan) Fan, Brad Liang and Stephen Kargotich who now serve as CEO, CTO, and COO of DizzyEX, respectively. Together, the team pursued the Stanford Biodesign approach, combining clinical insight, engineering and translational strategy to advance the development and clinical potential of the technology.
The device, which is similar to a bandage, is worn near the eye to capture eye movement patterns during an attack, without requiring the patient to do anything. The patient returns the recorded data for clinical analysis, with the eye movement patterns helping clinicians identify the underlying cause of the vertigo. Eventually, the team envisions the device will be capable of alerting the care team and possibly family members to ensure the patient’s safety.
Currently DizzyEX has in-clinic prototypes collecting patient data, while conducting usability studies to assess patient engagement and adherence. Over the coming months, they’ll be writing up the data and working on the next iteration of the device, which they’ll use to run broader studies as they begin the regulatory process.
Trusted connections will open new doors
Based on Dr. Santa Maria’s previous positive interactions with Fogarty, he recommended DizzyEX join its CAP program to accelerate progress. “We have such an appreciation for how they talk about starting with the end in mind, and we want to make sure we’re doing that,” Fan said. “That means refining our value proposition for clinicians to include our economic case. And, we’re also tapping their expertise to better understand the entire process so we can make sure we’re responsibly developing something that will make an impact on patients.”
Added Steenerson, “They have a wonderful history and connections in the area of event monitoring devices, so we feel really fortunate to have that level of specialized guidance and mentorship.”
The team looks forward to improving life for patients experiencing dizziness. “While common and treatable, vestibular disorders are underserved in the medical community,” Steenerson said. “We’re excited to bring this condition into the spotlight so it can be treated by frontline physicians, rather than relying on subspecialty care, and bring relief to the countless patients disabled by their symptoms.”